How To Rap Better

Here is a quick list of the 9 unique hacks that will help you learn how to rap better.

1. Start the next bar with the end rhyme of the previous bar.
2. Use Topical Word Banks.
3. Imperfect multi-syllable rhyme schemes.
4. Freestyle voice to text.
5. Use your chest voice
6. Map out the structure of the beat first
7. Double meaning words for punchlines.
8. YouTube Audio Library For Beats
9. Internal Rhymes Like Percee P.
10. Realize how much of your writing is cliches and sayings that are used by everyone
11. Flip multis backwards to find more words that have the same flow but slightly different cadence.
12. Swallow all consonants when sounding out your rhyme to find more multis
13. When freestyling, use the first two beats to catch up in your mind. But make it look like a pause for space and contrast.
14. Two vowel sounds as your rhyme scheme
15. Adjust the pitch of your voice to highlight multis or add contrast to flow

I would also like to invite you learn how to rap better in 30 days or less. Check it out!

Seriously though, I’ve noticed a trend in “how to rap” posts as well. Something I am guilty for too. I’ve been getting TOO technical. These are tips for rappers that are already solid.

These tips for how to rap better are creative ways to add to your arsenal of artistry. By the end of this, you will pick up at least a couple interesting ones for sure.

 

1. Start The Next Bar With The Rhyme From The Previous Bar

Often we look for ways to improve the flow of our lyrics. A really cool way to do this is to start the bar with a rhyme from the previous and then end THAT bar with a different rhyme scheme.

Example:

This is a sick way to add a different texture to the structure of your bars so it doesn’t sound the exact same every single time. Variety is the spice of life, and that rings true with writing raps too. God i’m a nerd, and I love it.

2. Use Topical Word Banks

Say you want to write a track around a specific topic or theme. A creative way to give you power words related to that theme is to Google “word lists by theme”. I tend to gravitate towards this website if you just want a link.

But pretty self-explanatory. These keep you on topic throughout the track and give you pretty cool access to new and interesting rhyme schemes.

3. Perfect Multi’s Get Boring, No?

Honestly, rap has gotten to the point where everyone is using multi’s now. It’s not as exciting anymore. There needs to be more. And we all want to rap better than the next one up.

I found that purposely creating imperfect multi’s is a really interesting way to do this. Kind of like how slant rhymes add more possibilities and make it less boring, this would be like slant multi’s? I dunno, i’ll throw out some examples and you can decide.

So let’s say we chose the multi “Back in the day“

There are two stressed syllables on back and day. Instead of ALWAYS having a perfect 4-syllable rhyme. Keep those two stressed syllables and remove one of the unstressed syllables to add a little flavour.

So instead of packin some clay / back in the day / travellin stay / Mandalay Bay

If you keep doing the same perfect syllable match every rhyme scheme your pattern will get predictable and boring.

– Ed

Try adding in something like Cassius Clay. Which keeps the same stressed rhymes but removes one of the unstressed. Or Attache, Black and grey, Catching prey.

Or switch up the stressed/unstressed syllables by adding more like Ceramic Plate, attractive face, systematic way, batallion strayed, Adament you pay. You know what I mean? It’s almost like a slant multi-syllabic rhyme.

Little tweaks like this ON-PURPOSE are going to add a ton of texture to your schemes.

4. Voice to Text

Smash out raps on Google Docs on your phone using the voice to text function. It works extremely well on almost every phone. Not to mention good options on the computer as well.

It’s super dope because you end up ‘writing’ how you actually speak/rap. A lot of people write raps and then spit like they’re reading from a book. It doesn’t sound natural at all when you don’t say it out loud. A great hack to rap better.

It has helped me get so many more verses done.

– Ed

Google Docs is free. Open it up or download it on your phone. Your keyboard will have a little microphone option when you go to type.

Just hit the microphone and start spitting bars. Don’t pay attention to it. It will mess a few words but honestly it’s pretty freaking accurate nowadays.

You just spit a bunch of stuff and then comb through the cool flow ideas or the cool rhyme schemes. This helps you get a feel for the beat and just makes your flow so much smoother. Game changer for me.

5. Hate How Your Rap Voice Sounds?

Normally people hate the sound of their own voice when they record it and listen back. I did too, I thought my pitch was too high and it just sounded annoying to me. Cringe.

I wanted to lower my voice a bit so it wasn’t as harsh sounding over the beat. It just wasn’t meshing. So I searched for rap exercises that could help me lower my voice on YouTube and rap better overall.

I tried this one from the video below, and it works. I’m telling you. It’s super simple, it’s not loud so your neighbours will hear. Sick. Check this dude’s vid. He’s a voice actor and gives tips on voice control. Perfect to rap better? I think YES.

6. Map Out The Structure Of The Beat First

You want to map out the structure of the beat first so count out:

1– 2 – 3 – 4  / 2 – 2 – 3 -4 / 3 – 2 – 3 – 4 / 4 -2 -3 – 4

Do this throughout the whole instrumental and keep your eye out for changes in the melodies and sounds.  

Usually the structure of hip hop will be in groups of 4, 8 and 16. Generally verses are mapped out 16 bars. Hooks usually 8 bars and intro’s and bridges can be 2 or 4 bars. This can change like crazy depending on the beat but its pretty universal in rap.

Doing this helps because you know what you need first, and you can fill out the blanks. Makes it easier to understand the flow of the track.

Additionally; you can also add the instrumental track to your DAW (Digital Audio Workstation). Such as Audacity.

You will be able to the WAV form visually on your screen. This will allow you to see when and where there are changes in the structure of your beat. And you can mark where your verses and hooks will go.

7. Double Meaning Words

Use double entendres and double meaning words or phrases to enhance your writing. This kind of falls under literary devices, but it gets people thinking and makes them react.

This also adds replay-ability to your raps. Plus friends will be like, “yo check out this sick bar”. Lol Noone talks like that anymore but you understand.

One of my favorites is from a Shad K verse where he says:

“You couldn’t rap /wrap this dope with a zigzag” – Shad

And I always remember that bar. Combining two double entendres together is a dope way to make new and interesting double meanings. Because so many have been used already you have to be MORE creative. Make something MORE interesting than anything ever done before.

Go to Google. Type in list of double meaning words and start combining two of them together to see if you can find some creative ones. Another way is to think of other words or phrases that have that double meaning word IN them.

Like for example:

The word ‘stand’ is a double meaning. Think of related phrases. Like ‘mic stand’ or ‘Stand in the way’ or ‘stand up for art’

Stand up for art like an easel

Stand in the whey protein – This doesn’t work.. okay next one.

My boy Mike stands to the right of me / With my mic stand held mightily

Stuff like this adds so much more diversity in your lines.

8. YouTube Audio Library

You need beats? That you can use on Youtube commercially? Or use on Spotify? Itunes? Whatever? But you don’t want to pay?

Use the YouTube audio library. Go to Google. Type in “Youtube audio library”. Search by hip hop. And download those beats. All those beats, you can use as long as you give credit to the producer. Which is listed there.

Just put (prod. By insert clever name) and you’re good to go. There are some DOPE beats there and they are always adding new ones. Killer. Best tip on here, period.

9. Add Inner Rhymes

If you want your verses to add a little something something here and there and just make you rap better. Add a quick inner rhyme that is a SEPARATE scheme from your main scheme.

So if your bars are:

The sick talk and hip hop is a different scheme intertwined inside the bar but has a different assonance than the end rhymes. Pretty dope

I mean none of these are groundbreaking, but it’s cool to remember not to be too bland with our verses. Sometimes you get into the habit of just saying things directly and in non-creative ways. These small considerations are what make rap better and less boring. Well for me anyways.

10. Realize how much of your writing is cliches and sayings that are used by everyone

This is an interesting topic for me because rap is not just writing, you can add emotion and more with sick flow and delivery. 

But of you find your writing bland or you just don’t like the way you are writing check this out. 

Everything you write is a cliche. 

Seriously. 

I didn’t realize this until recently. Next time you sit down and start writing, tell me how many of those words did you actually put thought into. 

Instead of saying “coffee” you COULD say “hot bean water”. 

Instead of saying “coat rack” you COULD say “where I hang my raptors hat”. 

“It’s a long story” 

“Keep it one hundred” 

“Sick rhymes”

“Bold-faced lie” 

“Snitch” 

Come up with your own language and way of describing the world. “with your own language”. Haha it’s “all over the place”. “see what I mean?” cliches everywhere. 

Ahhhhhhhhhh. 

The problem is that we usually write our raps first, and so we write cliches. And it’s not interesting at all. 

11. Flip multis backwards to find more words that have the same flow but slightly different cadence. 

Take “dope rapper” for example. You might write rhymes like “toe tapper” or “so dapper” 

Try flipping it around for potential words to use as inner pieces of your bars. 

Crack smoker, back lower, class over. 

12. Swallow all consonants when sounding out your rhyme to find more multis 

Let’s say you want to find a multi for “Kickin it dope”. 

As a practice, try ignoring all of the consonants and sound out the vowels. 

You’ll notice there are three “ih” sounds and then an “oh”. 

Ih ih ih oh

Now start sounding out potential words that for that template.

Licorice smoke

Little bit choked

Pickle Rick joke

Tripled his vote 

I’m just rifling through ideas in my head. 

I often try to split multis into vowel sections as well when I’m thinking of multis. In my head I’ll go through several rhymes for “licorice” like “business” “picnic” and then when I find one I like, I move onto the “oh” sound to see if I can make a relevant match. 

13. When freestyling, use the first two beats to catch up in your mind. But make it look like a pause for space and contrast. 

That’s a pretty self-explanatory rap tip, right?

When you land the stressed syllable of your multi ON the 4th beat of the bar. You will not only have the space that follows that 4th beat, but if you time it right, you can use the following 1 and 2 beat in the next bar to pause. Think of a half bar multi and start your lyrics on the 3rd and 4th beat. 

You can use this when freestyle battling. You don’t interrupt the flow, you also allow the audience a chance to react and then actually hear what you’re saying next. BUT ALSO, you have time to think of your next punchline or rhyme. That brief couple seconds is all you need to catch up in your brain. 

14. Two vowel sounds as your rhyme scheme

I noticed this trend after writing thousands of multi-syllable rhymes over the last 17 years. 

It kept coming up again and again. 

It’s not a rule but it’s definitely something to look at for more advanced rappers. 

This is best when thinking of a multi that would fit or sound good on the beat. 

Try combining two different vowel sounds together to find your phrase multi. 

Certain combinations of vowels sounds will combine better together over the beat. 

For example: 

The ‘Eh‘ and ‘Oh‘ fit together well. So “maybe I’m doper”, “Ray Liota”

The sounds contrast eachother well. 

Play around with this concept and you’ll see most of Eminem’s multi’s are formed with two different vowel sounds. And also that certain vowel sounds will sound better or worse over different types of instrumentals. 

Depending on the sample, or the drum patterns, your choice of vowel sound can either have a nasally effect or a deeper chest voice type effect. 

15. Adjust the pitch of your voice to highlight multis or add contrast to flow

This is a cool technique I use often to carve out a section of the multi so that the listener can hear where the rhyme is in comparison to the other sections of the bar. It’s like creating space for your rhymes to make them stand out. 

This also allows for another layer of cadence and flow which a lot of rappers don’t use. I believe this is what separates the dope rappers from the wack rappers after all is said and done. 

This is delivery. And adding this in will change your entire rap life. 

If you want an amazing example of this then check out Nikki Minaj, she is a pro at this. 

Or you can practice by spitting one of your verses and over-exaggerating from high pitch to low pitch to soft to harsh and playing around with the colour of your talking voice. Very fun. But necessary to master if you want to be a dope rapper. For real. If you think you sound monotone. That’s because of this.